12 days of Christmas- 6 degrees of separation
by Not Just a Nerd
Summary: Twelve days of Christmas- six degrees of separation. Bruce's first Christmas since his parents' death. And he's missing Selina terribly. Bruce x Selina. One-shot. Christmas fic.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Gotham or any of the characters. Lyrics quoted from "Six degrees of separation" by The Script, which also I do not own.**

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><p><em><span>Twelve days of Christmas<span>_

_**(**__Six degrees of separation)_

_i. first, you think the worst is a broken heart_

_How can she just kiss me and bolt?_ He's asked himself this question at least a hundred times in the two weeks since she's left. Because, he has no clue about girls, and he has no clue what that kiss meant. Was that a "goodbye, we'll never see each other again" kiss? Or was that a "I like you, see you soon" kiss? How is he ever going to figure it out how she feels and what she's thinking unless she tells him _something_!? Sure, he's smart, but damn it, she's complicated!

He thinks about calling up Detective Gordon and asking him if he found her, but a part of him stops him every time.

A part of him is heart-broken.

Because she left because she thinks it will keep him safe. And she never even asked him what _he_ wants.

It would have hurt less if she assumed he just wanted her to testify when they catch his parents' killer- and they _will_ catch his parents' killer, he will not give up on that- and then she would have been on her own. But no, she knows him better than that. She knows the Wayne manor could have been her permanent residence, she could have grown up here, and got home-schooled if she wanted, found a day job, or even joined the Wayne Enterprise in some capacity someday.

But no. It hurts because she left to keep _him_ safe, when all he wants to do is keep _her _safe. He's already lost his parents', he thought he had lost Alfred, and he… he just can't lose her, okay?

And it breaks his heart to think of the horrors she must be going through in the brutal heartless streets of Gotham- cold, alone, maybe hungry, maybe scared.

_Damn it, Selina, why did you have to leave?_

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><p><em><span>ii. what's gonna kill you is the second part<span>_

One month later, he finally admits to himself that he's missing her. Like hell. He wakes up every morning half expecting her to crawl in through a window and yell a "boo" behind his back and scare him in her own childish way. He spends breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper- every meal and every snack remembering and missing their food fights. He's still going on with his detective work, but sometimes he finds himself absent-mindedly missing her. He dreams of her at nights. Sometimes she's standing at the edge of a tall bridge, grinning at him, challenging him silently with her eyes to climb up and join her. Sometimes she falls, and he reaches out to catch her, only to wake up panting in his bed in the middle of the night.

He's missing her terribly, and he wonders if she's missing him too. He hopes she is. She has to.

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><p><em><span>iii. and the third, is when your world splits down the middle<span>_

"Do I _have_ _to_ go to this dinner, Alfred?" He asks, though he already knows the answer.

"Wayne Enterprise has been organizing a Christmas dinner for years now. Your parents never missed it for the world. As their sole heir, it is not your duty and responsibility to attend the event, Master Bruce." Alfred states sternly. A part of him aches to put the poor boy through the formalities of this cold, cruel corporate world, especially considering it's just been a few months since he's lost his parents. But Bruce is not just any boy- Bruce is a Wayne. And he _must_ be strong.

Bruce only nods, not trusting his voice to not break if he says one more word. This is his first Christmas without his parents. And she's….

_God, is she even thinking about me the way I'm thinking about her?_

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><p><em>iv. and fourth, you're gonna think that you've fixed yourself<em>

He's a lot better by the end of the seventh week. He has to be. He's Bruce Wayne. He can't spend his whole life pining for a girl that he has by now concluded isn't coming back. He has to think about things bigger than himself. He has to find his parents' killer and he has to make Gotham a better place, just like his parents wanted.

It's the week before Christmas Eve, and the servants are busy decorating the whole house. He orders the Christmas tree from the previous year to be re-used this year again, because his mother- he feels himself choke a little at the memory. _Pull yourself together, Bruce-_ had decked the tree with her own hands, and Alfred gladly complies. They dust up the tree and the ornaments, and hang bells and stars all over Wayne manor.

Alfred puts a box under the tree, and Bruce feels his face split into a wide grin. He's almost tempted to tear apart the wrapping and see what's inside, but he controls himself.

"Can I hang a stocking in my room, Alfred?" He suddenly asks. He knows there is no Santa Claus, and even if there was, he couldn't bring back his parents, or even Cat. But he's done this every year, and the little child that's still left in him doesn't want to let go.

For the first time in a long while, Alfred feels a wave of relief wash over him. "Of course, Master Bruce."

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><p><em><span>v. and fifth, you see them out with someone else<span>_

He hates ties. He seriously hates ties. They feel like a kind of noose around his neck, and when he was younger, he felt like it would strangle him one day, but his mother used to assure him that it won't, it would only make him look "adorable".

"I'm not adorable", he used to protest, not wanting to be called by such a "girly" adjective. But his mother would only laugh and ruffle his hair.

Standing in front of the mirror, trying to comprehend how in the world one can tie a tie, he really wishes he could hear his mother call him adorable one more time.

Alfred silently steps in and helps him out. _What would I do without him?_

And then he's ready. Bruce Wayne is ready for the first Christmas dinner that he's hosting. And he's ready to carry on his parents' legacy and make them proud.

The Limo ride is pleasant, and he makes Alfred tell him the story of Rudolph again. He steps out feeling cheerful and ready to take on the world.

That's when he hears it.

"Hey! Stop! That's my wallet!"

He turns around to see a guy frantically yelling across the street, and follows his eyes to see a figure in a hoodie hurrying away.

And there's no mistaking whose moves those are. "CAT!" He calls out before he can stop himself.

The figure suddenly freezes, and slowly turns around. _Cat. _

He notices her from a distance, her cheeks are a little colorless from the cold, and her curls have grown longer, but otherwise, she looks just the same. Their eyes meet, and neither of them knows what to say. For the first time in forever, Bruce Wayne fills a flutter of hope.

"Cat!" Suddenly someone calls out from behind her. "Come on!"

He turns to the direction of the voice and sees a guy. Tanned, dark haired, blue eyed, also wearing a hoodie.

Oh.

He feels his heart sink to the floor. And he's not sure whether he turns around and dashes inside the building first, or whether she starts running away before that.

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><p><span><em>vi. and sixth is when you admit, you may have messed up a little<em>

Once inside, his months of training himself allow him to regain his composure. He gives a small speech, manages to shake hands with the members of the board, and even cuts the cake with a smiling face when the others insist he does.

It's only when he's seated and having his dinner does he start to regret what he just did. He stumbled upon Selina after months, purely by chance too, and he ruined his one chance to talk, to ask her how she is, how she feels, and to ask her to come back home. Now she's gone, and she's probably mad at him, and he has no idea when he will see her again- if he will ever see her again at all.

_Fuck. _

_(Oh no, there ain't no help. It's every man for himself.)_

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><p>He wakes up on Christmas morning with a heavy heart. He wishes his mother was there to hug him tight and his father would tell him everything will be alright. With much effort, he pulls the blankets off him and pulls himself out of bed.<p>

And that's when he sees it. His stockings. Something is inside it! _Oh, Alfred, God bless that kind old soul! _

He's curious to see what's in it, so he takes it down quickly and shoves his hand inside. He feels a little surprised when he feels the texture of what appears to be a card. He pulls it out, his eyebrows quirked up in confusion.

It has the picture of a cat on the cover, and he just _knows_ who it's from. She was here! She must have snuck inside in the middle of the night and left him this card! His heart suddenly gives itself a nitro boost, and ignoring its racing, he flips the card open to see what's inside.

"For a genius, you're seriously dumb. Merry Christmas."

And the thing is, they have this unspoken kind of bond that lets him know exactly what she means by just those few words.

And Bruce Wayne smiles. "Merry Christmas."

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><p><strong>AN: Hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas. Merry Christmas and happy holidays! :D reviews make me a happy girl! :D**


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